An Indian national has been charged with threatening to kill a cabin crew member (among other charges) on a violent flight from Australia to Singapore.
Man Charged With Threatening To Kill Cabin Crew After Too Much To Drink On Singapore Flight
Here’s what happened:
- 42-year-old Kolathu James Leo of India was traveling on Scoot from Sydney (SYD) to Singapore (SIN) on February 27, 2025 on Scoot, the budget subsidiary of Singapore Airlines
- Onboard, he consumed alcohol and purportedly became inebriated
- He began shouting
- Detaching his seatback pocket, he repeatedly hit the seatback in front of him
- When the cabin crew tried to calm him down, he became aggressive
- He grabbed the wrist of a male flight attendant and hours later threatened to kill the same flight attendant
- Leo was restrained with zipties, but only quieted down once he was warned that any further outbursts would result in the return of the aircraft to Sydney
- He has been charged with:
- threatening to kill another person
- exercising criminal force on a flight attendant
- intoxication onboard an airplane
- jeopardizing good order and discipline
- His trial is on April 22, 2025
- Potential punishment includes:
- up to one year in prison plus a fine of 20,000 SGB for jeopardizing good order and discipline
- up to three months in prison and a fine of 1,500 SGD for grabbing the flight attendant
- up to 10 years in jail for threatening to kill another person
Leo is expected to plead guilty.
Lesson (it’s always the same lesson): moderate your drinking when flying.
Hat Tip: SINJIM
He certainly picked the wrong country to travel to and behave like that. I hate to say that if he’d done that on a flight to the US, he’d likely be arrested, but released under his own recognizance and ordered to appear. There, he’d likely only be charged with misdemeanor battery for grabbing the flight attendant and all other charges dropped. Sad, but true.
25 strokes with a cane is appropriate
I am derek, not Derek.
They don’t do that in Singapore. The crime would have to be more serious and wouldn’t get more than 24.
On the other hand, in the USA, they use lethal injection, a weird method. In Norway, inmates get private apartments and employees are hired to be friends.
“Onnnnnce…there was this kidddddd whooooooooo took a trip to Singapore and brought a can of spray paint…”
Some people just can’t handle their booze. He’ll almost certainly get some time in a Singaporean prison to dry out and reflect on his need to stay dry in the future.
They are serious in Singapore!!!
Indian national. Surprise surprise.